Nanotechnology is used to obtain liquid glass, a very important scientific process in our industry but largely unknown to the general public. In order to understand what nanotechnology is, we first need to know what a nanometre is. A nanometre is a unit of length that corresponds to one billionth of a metre; that is to say, one billion nanometres make one metre. A very tiny measure, isn’t it? Nanotechnology is the science or technology developed at a nanoscale, about 1 to 100 nanometres. Nanotechnology is, therefore, the technology of small things.
In 1959 the Nobel winner Richard Feynman discussed for the first time about the possibility of manipulating and controlling individual molecules and atoms. He didn’t use the term nanotechnology yet, but he really established its basis. Ten years later Norio Taniguchi coined the term nanotechnology while working with ultra-precision machines. It was not until 1981 that the evolution of science and the development of the scanning microscope allowed scientists to see atoms individually, in that moment nanotechnology was born.
Materials in a nanoscale possess enhanced properties and scientists are finding ways of taking advantage of them. Materials in a nanoscale are stronger, lighter and have a greater chemical reactivity than on a larger scale. Nanotechnology is science of transitioning those incredible characteristics from the nanoscale to the big materials we use in our daily lives.
Nanotechnology is a very broad science, it can be applied in all the different disciplines of science and its applications are very diverse. The aspect of nanotechnology that we are most interested in is liquid nanotechnology. The process of immersing nanoparticles in a liquid makes this technology easy to manipulate and distribute; that is the secret of liquid nanotechnology. In our industry we care especially about silicon dioxide nanotechnology, which is commonly known as liquid glass. Once liquid glass is applied to a material it forms a protective film between 100 and 5 microns thin. A micron is one million of a meter, so you can imagine how thin are the protective layers made out of liquid glass. This protective layer leaves any surface protected and makes it easier to clean, preserve, protect and enjoy.